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Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center

Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

Taking a Stand for Humanity

During the quiet phase of a significant capital campaign, the Museum engaged Grillo Group to develop a case statement package to support development efforts with their most important prospects.

As our collaboration progressed, we also worked to refresh brand positioning and identity with the goal of increased awareness of the Museum’s larger purpose: To use the lessons of the Holocaust to empower and encourage visitors to stand up for what’s right—in their daily lives and for human rights globally—against hatred, discrimination, and genocide still very much alive in the world today.

Our approach for both branding and campaign materials needed to address the emotional pitch and multiple sensitivities of Museum content, the feelings, expectations, and perceptions of local Holocaust Survivors, the Museum board of directors and trustees, partners, current and prospective donors, students and their families, and the general public.

The Grillo Group carefully segmented audience groups and identified a positioning that communicates the heart and sole purpose of the Museum with impact and clarity. The tagline and messaging tailored to each key audience emerged directly from our positioning work, along with the design direction for the identity refresh, campaign case statement package and related support communications, advertising, and a myriad of other communications.

Before we began our visual branding work, the Museum logo made visual reference to the roofline of Stanley Tigerman’s much loved and respected Museum architecture. The point and curve of the roofline (shown here) is a metaphor for the Survivor’s journey from darkness into light as is the Museum visitor's physical journey through the story the exhibits tell. Our refreshed branding solution retains the point/curve roofline but, with a minor shape adjustment, makes clear the additional symbolism of a bird taking flight for freedom.

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Client Success

Illinois Holocaust Museum’s “Commit to the Future” case statement, developed with The Grillo Group, provided a powerful narrative of the Museum’s work and an important showcase for our groundbreaking Take a Stand Center. We used the case statement successfully with donors and prospective partners. The capital campaign case statement provided a wonderful leave behind following meetings, helping the Museum gain new “friends” and increase awareness in the community. Portions of the case statement have also been used in Museum templates for several winning grant proposals and an annual report.

Susan Abrams, Chief Executive Officer, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

Competitive analysis
Audience stakeholder group identification
Stakeholder interviews
SWOT analysis
Communications strategy, planning, positioning, messaging, and tagline
Brand identity refinement and identity guidelines
Campaign name and case statement package
Website content and design consultation
Full range of communications print and electronic
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Case statement package cover.
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Case for giving cover and interior spreads.
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Case statement back cover.
A selection of pages from Museum identity guidelines.
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Exhibition poster.